Central kitchen to serve 60,000 students daily

metro india news  I suryapet : The Telangana government is making landmark investments in education and student welfare, with a major focus on nutrition, quality schooling and modern infrastructure for children from rural and economically weaker families, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Irrigation & Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Tuesday.

The Ministers laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art community kitchen at Munagala in Suryapet district, which will provide daily breakfast to nearly 60,000 students studying in 1,029 government schools and junior colleges across the district.

The centralised kitchen, being established with the support of the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation, will prepare, pack and transport nutritious food to educational institutions across Suryapet district. The project is being supported with a Rs 9.60-crore contribution from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), following requests made by Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and Kodad MLA N. Padmavathi Reddy.

Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, Bhatti Vikramarka said providing nutritious food to children was an investment in their health, education and future. Welfare programmes, he said, should not be viewed merely as “freebies”, but as measures aimed at strengthening families and enabling people to contribute more effectively to the State's development.

Nutrition, essential part of education

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Munagala community kitchen would provide nutritious breakfast to around 60,000 students every day, with the number of beneficiaries likely to increase in the future.

“Nutrition is an essential complement to classroom education,” he said, stressing the importance of ensuring that children receive adequate and healthy food from an early age.

The Minister said students covered under the programme would receive breakfast along with milk and ragi porridge. The kitchen would be equipped with modern facilities and an integrated system for food preparation, packing, transportation and distribution.

Special emphasis would be placed on food quality, nutritional value, hygiene and safe handling, he said. Officials said the programme could also be expanded, based on requirements, to provide lunch to selected junior colleges.